OnePlus One has reached "Feature Freeze" stage of development, prototype in testing

The OnePlus One high-end Cyanogenmod powered smartphone is now one step closer to reality, as it reached the Feature Freeze stage of development and has its first prototype in active testing. 

OnePlus might not exactly be a household name (yet), but we have to admit that the startup’s promise to “never settle” certainly has us intrigued. Founded by Ex-OPPO exec Pete Lau, the new company revealed last month that they would were partnering with Cyanogen to deliver the first handset built from the ground up to run CyanogenMod right out of the box.

While the OPPO N1 had a version of the handset that had CM installed by default, the big difference here is that the upcoming OnePlus One will actually be working with Cyanogen and will build the hardware based on input from the CM team.

So how close are we to seeing OnePlus’ first handset? While we don’t have an exact date, the handset is expected to arrive sometime in Q2 of this year. Now it seems that we are a step closer to the device’s eventual release, as OnePlus has announced the device has reached the “feature freeze” stage. Prototype A0001 has also arrived to their office and is now in testing. OnePlus notes there are still a lot of improvements to be made until the final product, but this is still a good sign.

When it does arrive, OnePlus says it will now only feature the “best components” available, and it will also have a price tag below $500 unlocked. What do you think of the OnePlus One based on the limited information we know? Are you keeping your eye on this one, or not?